[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 154 (Thursday, August 11, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49578-49579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17269]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 154 / Thursday, August 11, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 49578]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

RIN 0596-AD36


Notice of Intent To Publish for Public Comment a Proposed 
Permanent Seasonal Order Closing Management Area 3.67 of the Thunder 
Basin National Grassland to Prairie Dog Hunting

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).

SUMMARY: The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is giving 
notice of its intent to publish for public comment a proposed permanent 
seasonal order closing Management Area 3.67 in the Douglas Ranger 
District of the Thunder Basin National Grassland, which covers 
approximately 42,000 acres in Campbell, Converse, and Weston Counties, 
Wyoming, from February 1 to August 15 to prairie dog hunting in advance 
of the public comment period for the proposed order. At the end of the 
advance notice period, the Forest Service will solicit public comments, 
as specified in this notice, on the proposed order.

DATES: Advance notice of the opportunity to provide public comment on a 
proposed permanent seasonal order prohibiting prairie dog hunting in 
Management Area 3.67 in the Douglas Ranger District of the Thunder 
Basin National Grassland (Grassland) is being provided until August 18, 
2022. Beginning on August 18, 2022, the Forest Service will accept 
comments on the proposed order for 60 days. The notice of opportunity 
for public comment will be posted on the Medicine Bow-Routt National 
Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mbr/alerts-notices and on the Forest Service's 
website at www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/regulations-policies.

ADDRESSES: The proposed order and its justification are available on 
the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National 
Grassland website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mbr/alerts-notices 
and on the Forest Service's website at www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/regulations-policies or can be viewed at the Douglas Ranger District, 
2250 East Richards Street, Douglas, WY 82633-8922. Please call ahead at 
307-358-4690 to ensure access.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob Robertson, Douglas District 
Ranger, 307-358-4690, [email protected]. Individuals who use 
telecommunications devices for the hearing-impaired (TDD) may call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 800-877-8339, 24 hours a day, every day 
of the year, including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Advance Notice and Public Comment Procedures

    Section 4103 of the John D. Dingell, Jr., Conservation, Management, 
and Recreation Act (Dingell Act) (Pub L. 116-9, Title IV (Sportsmen's 
Access and Related Matters)) requires that the Secretary of 
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, provide 
public notice and opportunity to comment before permanently or 
temporarily closing any National Forest System lands to hunting, 
fishing, or recreational shooting. Section 4103 of the Dingell Act 
applies to the proposed permanent seasonal order prohibiting prairie 
dog hunting in Management Area 3.67 in the Douglas Ranger District of 
the Thunder Basin National Grassland from February 1 to August 15. The 
public notice and comment process in section 4103(b)(2) of the Dingell 
Act requires the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register an 
advance notice of intent of a proposed permanent or temporary hunting, 
fishing, or recreational shooting order in advance of the public 
comment period for the proposed order. This notice meets the 
requirement to publish a notice of intent in the Federal Register in 
advance of the public comment period for the proposed order. Following 
the notice period, section 4103(b)(2) of the Dingell Act requires an 
opportunity for public comment on the proposed order. The public 
comment period must be at least 60 days for a proposed permanent order. 
Beginning on August 18, 2022, the Forest Service will accept public 
comments on the proposed order for 60 days. The notice of opportunity 
for public comment will be posted on the Medicine Bow-Routt National 
Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mbr/alerts-notices and at the Forest Service's 
website at www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/regulations-policies.
    Section 4103(b)(2) of the Dingell Act requires the Forest Service 
to respond to public comments received on the proposed order before 
issuing a final order, including an explanation of how any significant 
issues raised by the comments were resolved and, if applicable, how 
resolution of those issues affected the proposed order or the 
justification for the proposed order. The response to comments on the 
proposed order, justification for the final order, and the issuance of 
the final order will all be posted on the Forest Service's website at 
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mbr/alerts-notices and www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/regulations-policies.

Background and Need for the Proposed Permanent Order

    The proposed order would implement the land management plan 
direction in the Thunder Basin National Grassland 2020 Plan Amendment. 
The shooting of black-tailed prairie dogs is a common recreational 
activity on the Grassland. Grassland land management direction for 
Management Area 3.67 provides for maintenance of short-stature 
vegetation communities, including prairie dog colony ecosystems. The 
proposed permanent seasonal order would prohibit prairie dog hunting in 
Management Area 3.67 from February 1 to August 15 to protect at-risk 
animal species associated with black-tailed prairie dog colonies during 
breeding, nesting, and brood-rearing seasons. Grassland land management 
direction does not limit prairie dog hunting at any other locations or 
times on the Grassland.
    The proposed permanent seasonal order, map of the area covered by 
the proposed order, and justification for the proposed order are 
available on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin 
National Grassland website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/

[[Page 49579]]

alerts/mbr/alerts-notices and on the Forest Service's website at 
www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/regulations-policies.

    Dated: August 5, 2022.
Deborah Hollen,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2022-17269 Filed 8-10-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P